Across the globe there is great demand for disposable paper products. In the North American market, the demand is increasing for higher quality products offered at a reasonable price point. A critical attribute for consumers of disposable sanitary tissue and paper towels are softness, strength, and absorbency.
Softness is the pleasing tactile sensation the consumer perceives when using the tissue product as it is moved across his or her skin or crumpled in his or her hand. The tissue physical attributes which affect softness are primarily surface smoothness and bulk structure.
Various manufacturing systems and methods have been developed that produce soft, strong and absorbent structured paper towel or tissue products. However, such systems and methods are often deficient in their ability to provide sufficient bulk structure to the final product, which in turn does not allow for optimal softness and absorbency.